Sassone: Re-sign Havlat, let Khabibulin go

Tim Sassone says the Hawks should concentrate on bringing back Marty Havlat, Sammy Pahlsson, and upgrading the defense. 

I’ve gone back and forth on this one, but the Hawks need an experienced game-breaker to take the heat off Patrick Kane and the other forwards, and Havlat proved his worth with a great 2008-09 season.

I wouldn’t get too crazy with the number of years and the dollars, however. Two or three years for Havlat at about the $6 million he has been making sounds about right.

Some might worry about Havlat’s health history and if being in a contract year motivated him to play hurt. In scoring 29 goals and 77 points, we saw a different Havlat than his first two years in Chicago, on and off the ice. We saw a guy who matured into a leader, accepted his status as the team’s go-to guy, was looked up to by his young teammates and appreciated them in return.

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